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Sunday, January 31, 2016

This series introduced a race of
big, blue, horned aliens living on an ice planet and a group of abducted women
who end up stuck on what they like to call not-Hoth. I had great fun with
the hero and heroine of the first book and it only got better as the books
progressed. I thoroughly enjoyed this flash back to the pure fantasy of the
barbarian heroes of the 1980s mixed with modern women in a well-developed
world.

Best Dark SFR Trilogy

Tribute by Kate
Pearce

The Tribute trilogy was the most
difficult read I couldn't put down this year. In this dark SFR, a human
civilization developed on a new world only to learn too late that is was
already inhabited by a terrifying, underground dwelling species. Too keep the monsters
at bay, they provide Tributes each season to appease the enemies perverse and
cruel curiosity. Each book reveals more of the world and the underlying plots
that put the characters in grave danger. The intertwined stories of four
characters plays out with explicit, dark, and non-traditional romance that is
alternately, offensive, fascinating, gut-wrenching, and gratifying. Not for the
faint of heart, Tribute shows off the brave and rare talent of the author in an
innovative feat of storytelling.

Most Continuing Series Using the Mars Needs Women Trope

Tornians by M.K.
Eidem

I discovered this series when the
hero of the first book, Grim, was nominated for a Best SFR Hero poll I was
running on my blog. This series started in 2013 but had several new books added
in 2015. It features a typical back drop of an alien race whose females have
become scarce, but features a fresh take on the culture that has developed as a
result. A culture that is rocked by the introduction of human females. The
heroes of this series are stellar examples of the honorable and devoted alphas
that fans of this trope adore and the heroines are varied and individual enough
to keep each book fresh. My only reservation with this series is that the
older books in the series would benefit from a solid round of editing, but the
stories easily make it worth overlooking that flaw.

Tanya Huff’s
Valor/Confederation series is one of the great military SF series that is a
heroine’s journey instead of a hero’s journey. It is also an utterly marvelous
military SF series from the point of view of someone who is a senior
non-commissioned officer and is determined to remain so. Torin Kerr is a
Gunnery Sergeant in the Terran United Planets Space Force Marines, and proud of
it.

But the story in the
original series was one of Torin digging deeper than she ever intended into the
war between her side and the aliens. As the series progressed, Torin’s faith in
her service is shaken. When she discovers the truth, the story is a classic of
the “aliens manipulated events” type. And Torin falls in love with a private
ship owner who doesn’t play by the rules. When the truth is revealed, Torin and
her crew retire from the Marines, seemingly to live happily, if occasionally
grumpily, ever after.

An Ancient Peace is what
happens next. You can the woman out of the Marines, but you can’t pry the
Marines out of the woman with a crowbar. And while Torin and her crew may have
lost faith in the powers that be, she hasn’t lost any of her will to rush in
where angels rightfully fear to tread and rescue whoever needs rescuing.
Including the galaxy.

Best “Riff on To Serve
Man”

The Terrans (First Salik
War #1)
by Jean Johnson. Also, Best Riff on the “Fated Mate” trope.

The Terrans by Jean
Johnson is the first book in her First Salik War series, which is a prequel
series to her Theirs Not to Reason Why series. (For those keeping score, it is
more than possible to read The Terrans without reading the other series. After
all, it’s a PREQUEL)

The First Salik War
series, and particularly The Terrans is not military SF like Theirs Not.
Instead, this is a first contact series that gets the history moving towards
the later events. One of the cool things in Johnson’s universe is that psychic
powers are not merely recognized, they are also codified in a way that explains
what’s going on, and in a scientific manner that allows those powers to be
measured and proven.

So when all the psychics
on Earth have visions about certain ships with certain people meeting aliens,
everybody, including the powers that be, listens. And that’s where our story
begins. Ambassador Jackie MacKenzie goes out to meet the aliens, and discovers
two things. A long time ago, and quite possibly literally in a galaxy far, far
away, somebody seeded the galaxy with human colonies removed from Earth long
before we developed space travel. And there is a whole race of aliens who
thinks we make a very tasty lunch, especially if we are alive and squirming
while we’re being eaten.

Best “Cyborg
Supersoldier Romance”

Through the Static by Jeanette Grey

In a way, this is
another SF slavery story, but it takes place here on Earth. It also picks up
the classic SF theme that governments will do anything, break any law, corrupt
any moral code, in order to create supersoldiers of the mindless
killing-machine type.

In this particular
universe, they do it just the way that the First Order in Star Wars: The Force
Awakens creates stormtroopers - they kidnap children and reprogram them. And
just like Finn in SW:TFA, sometimes the programming breaks down.

When a scientist
successfully delves into the secrets that create these supersoldiers, the evil
powers that be send multiple teams of those supersoldiers after her. But Jinx’
programming is already breaking down, and Dr. Aurelia Locke knows exactly how
to return his memories and free will to the programmed assassin. What no one
expects is that the former supersoldier will fall in love with the woman who
saved him, and vice versa.

Jinx and his fellow
supersoldiers will remind any SF reader of Robocop or the Terminator as well as
SW:TFA, but this time, there’s a happy ending. Only after a massive struggle
between Jinx, Aurelia, and the man who targets them both.

Best “Post-Apocalypse
for Readers who don’t even like Post-Apocalypse”

Hell Squad seriesby
Anna Hackett

I don’t normally like
post-apocalyptic romances. The whole idea of the prepper’s paranoia finally
paying off doesn’t actually do anything for me. Your mileage, of course, may
vary. However, I love Anna Hackett’s Hell Squad series, which is absolutely
post-apocalyptic romance.

I’m still trying to
figure out why. The Hell Squad series blends a lot of things that I do like.
For one thing, the apocalypse that Hell Squad is post of is an alien invasion.
So this is definitely science fiction. Not just because of the aliens, but also
because of other futuristic elements. The tech is definitely advanced beyond
contemporary tech, or at least what we know of contemporary tech.

There’s also more than a
touch of military romance, as either the hero or the heroine in each story, and
sometimes both, are part of some organized fighting force against the aliens,
even if they are not part of any military we now have. Although some of them
were.

But ultimately, the Hell
Squad series is a survival story. These are people who have faced terrible
things, and are still fighting back. And as they fall in love, they remember
that they have more to fight for than they ever imagined.

Baby
Jack is just full of surprises in this romance. H helps reconnect two people
who have a past but have been apart for a long time. A very well-developed 45-page
long story.

Best Use of
Western Lore in Space

Space Wrangler by Kate Donovan

Rick
Gage rides and ropes but not cows. He goes after robots.Alexia Montoya needs help and Rick like a
hero in the old west is the one to come to her aid. Action, danger and romance
are the result. This is the start of a new series with a lot of potential.

Best Hidden Main
Character

Dark Horse by Michelle
Diener

Sazo
is an artificial intelligence and one of the main characters in Dark Horse. He
is often behind the scenes and many of the characters do not know he exists. A
great use of an AI to keep the plot moving.

Best Back Story

Final Protocol by J.C. Daniels

Silence
has lost much of her memory and in Final Protocol she begins to remember the
past. Her back story drives the plot and keeps everything moving.

Best Slow Burning
Romance

Minder Rising by Carol Van
Natta

Lieren and Imara are
acquaintances who haves secrets. It is Imara’s son Derrit that starts to bring
them together. The romance is slow to develop but very believable.